Canada’s Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finds himself behind in polls ahead of a snap election he called hoping his management of the COVID-19 crisis would propel him to victory.
Trudeau called the September 20 election last month, two years ahead of schedule.
At the time, his Liberals were well ahead and looked likely to regain the majority in parliament they lost in 2019. His main rival, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, has repeatedly attacked him for calling a vote during the pandemic.
The latest polls by Nanos, Ekos and others show Liberal fortunes have faded as voters have grown fatigued with Trudeau, 49, who has been in power since 2015.
One Liberal strategist said on Friday the early-vote call had backfired as it was seen as “wrong” and “greedy” by electors.
Despite rolling out massive pandemic aid, passing a federal budget and other key legislation with opposition backing over the past year, Trudeau has lamented that parliament has become dysfunctional.
Trudeau was re-elected to office in 2019 but lost his majority in his second term, amid scandals.
